Artwork
40, Rue Ravignan
40, Rue Ravignan is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Maurice Utrillo. It dates from 1913 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a cityscape of Rue Ravignan, featuring a multi-story urban building set against a grey sky.
The painting depicts a cityscape of Rue Ravignan, featuring a multi-story urban building set against a grey sky. Created in 1913, the work captures a specific street scene in Paris, emphasizing the architectural presence of the building and the somber atmospheric conditions. While the visual content focuses on the physical reality of the street and its structures, the inclusion of materials such as sand and plaster within the medium contributes to the textured representation of the urban environment.
The subject matter reflects the artist's focus on the streets and buildings of Paris, presenting a straightforward view of the location without additional allegorical elements specified in the available records.
Technique & Style
40, Rue Ravignan is classified as a painting executed in oil paint on a cardboard support, with plaster and sand incorporated into the medium. The mixed-media handling, combining oil with plaster and sand, aligns with Utrillo's characteristic technique of building textured, masonry-like surfaces to evoke weathered Parisian walls. The composition is a cityscape measuring 57.7 cm in height by 77 cm in width.
Stylistically, the work depicts multi-story urban buildings along rue Ravignan beneath a grey sky, rendered with the muted palette and architectural focus typical of Utrillo's Montmartre subjects. The painting is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of the Robert Lehman collection.
History & Provenance
The painting is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is part of the Robert Lehman Collection. Its accession number is 1975.1.115. The work has been exhibited in the museum’s galleries dedicated to modern European art, including in the 2006 exhibition "The Robert Lehman Collection: Paintings."
Overview
Titled "40, Rue Ravignan," this painting presents a quiet urban street scene, distinguished by the artist's innovative use of sand as a medium. The work captures a moment of stillness within a city environment, depicting architectural forms and an empty street under a subdued sky. The integration of texture and color creates a contemplative atmosphere, drawing the viewer into its serene depiction of an everyday location.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Maurice Utrillo was a French painter of the School of Paris who specialized in cityscapes. From the Montmartre quarter of Paris, France, Utrillo is one of the few famous painters of Montmartre to have been born there.
